


Undeniable Chemistry

by Avatarkyoshi



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avatarkyoshi/pseuds/Avatarkyoshi
Summary: [Finished]Part 1Set a few years down the line (characters are 18 and 20yrs). Zuko is facing challenges as Fire Lord and Katara has been sent to check up on how he is doing. Zuko apologises (again) to Katara for his past actions and tension ensues. Zuko and Katara give in to the undeniable chemistry that they have, but are they willing to sacrifice everything they have simply for one another?***Part 2After Aang's death, Zuko and Katara spend some time alone together and reconcile. They find comfort in one another in their time of grief, and reflect on their years together, their old feelings for one another resurfacing. Can this be a new beginning for Zuko and Katara?,
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Finished]
> 
> Part 1
> 
> Set a few years down the line (characters are 18 and 20yrs). Zuko is facing challenges as Fire Lord and Katara has been sent to check up on how he is doing. Zuko apologises (again) to Katara for his past actions and tension ensues. Zuko and Katara give in to the undeniable chemistry that they have, but are they willing to sacrifice everything they have simply for one another?
> 
> ***
> 
> Part 2 
> 
> After Aang's death, Zuko and Katara spend some time alone together and reconcile. They find comfort in one another in their time of grief, and reflect on their years together, their old feelings for one another resurfacing. Can this be a new beginning for Zuko and Katara?,

Katara paused for a moment before the heavy double doors of Zuko's room. After all these years, something about Zuko left her feeling on edge. Around him she always felt her guard was up. She didn't let herself think on this for too long as she reached to uncap her bottle, and in one simple motion created a forceful wave that opened the double doors for her.

"Aang sent me to check up on you, to see if you were doing okay." Katara says standing in Zuko's doorway.

"Oh so he's sent you to babysit me?" he says but there is an edge to his voice.

Moving to his desk and taking a seat, Katara realises Zuko looks different from the last time she saw him. His cheeks look hollower and his skin looks paler, making his red scar look more prominent. Dark shadows lie beneath his eyes, which are darting and filled with worry. Even his hair seems unkempt, his crown disregarded as his black locks fall grazing his lashes.

In response to her questioning look he begins "Some of my dad's old supporters are causing problems, constantly reminding me of how I'm unfit to rule and calling for my assassination. You know the usual".

"I can get Aang to help, maybe he can negotiate something, like maybe they can have some political position so they can shut up?" Katarra offers.

"I can't get the Avatar to sort out all my problems out for me, not when it concerns my people" Zuko snaps.

"Sorry, it's just I thought the it would all stop when my dad was put away, but its not that easy. His supporters share the same messed-up mindset as him and it's not like I can just throw everyone in jail and take their bending away" Zuko explains.

Zuko buries his face in his hands, he slowly removes his hands from his face, but leans on his left cheek, his palm hiding the red scar. His scar was a constant reminder of what happened in the cave that time, she remembers how she had almost cured it before they were interrupted.

'You know I've practised my healing over the last couple years, I could probably heal your scar if I managed to find some spirit water".

For a second Zuko considers this but he then shakes his head. "... No, I need to keep it as a reminder of the suffering he's caused. The suffering I've caused. So that the fire nation never does anything like that again."

"I'm really sorry for what we did to your family. I know I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to atone for my father actions, and deep down I know that it will never be good enough, because we cannot bring back all the people that were lost. So I just want you to know I am really really sorry."

"You know to be honest I don't think I'll ever truly be able to forgive you and the fire nation fully. That doesn't stop me caring about you Zuko, And I know that no one else is more capable or deserving of being Fire Lord than you." Katara responds, slightly shocked at how easily the words come from her lips.

She reaches out to gingerly touch his scar and without thinking she brings her lips to his right cheekbone and plants a kiss. Her lips feel light and so soft against his scarred skin, the cool air that leaves her lips sending a shiver that he forces himself to conceal. He clenches his jaw and hopes that the flickering lights of the fireplace do not expose the blush in his cheeks. He struggles to mentally unpack his emotions, why is he feeling like this? He never had these kinds of feelings for Katara. He has never let himself have these kinds of feelings for Katara.

Katara draws away from him at a pace that feels like an eternity. She feels as though she is a magnet being pulled from metal, using all her willpower to move away from him. Why did she do that? Why did it feel so awkward now? Why did she want to keep kissing him? She stares at the floor, biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from doing anything that would make the situation anymore awkward. Something had definitely shifted. The space between them felt electric, as if a single spark could set everything alight.

A moment passes. "Did I do something wrong?" asks Zuko tentatively after clearing his throat.

"No, why?" Katarra says a little too fast.

"Just because you look like you really wanna set that table leg on fire... sorry freeze it" he says with a small smile.

Katara had been so intent on avoiding eye contact that she had been glaring at the table leg. She relaxed her face and allowed herself to smile. "No its just that..." she let that hang and finally looked at his golden eyes. They were so full of concern and guilt. It finally struck her, Zuko was scared of her. Scared because she was a constant reminder of his past, one he could not avoid, a past he could not change. For a brief second she glanced at his lips, slightly parted, matching the worry painted across his face. This single look was the match to the spark, as Zuko rushed to close the gap between them with his lips. His lips were soft and warm, an aching warmth that she felt herself drowning in as the kiss deepened. His movements were slow and gentle, and she cupped his right cheek with her hand to draw them even closer. His hand was now at her nape his fingers working their way through her brown curls. Katara began feeling impatient and pushed her hands into his black locks gripping on to them as she began to take charge the kiss. His hands quickly moved to her hips and he leaned backwards into his chair so that now Katara was straddling him. His hands roughly moves up her waist underneath her dress, feeling her curves hungrily. She felt cool against his touch, and he embraced this feeling like ice on a scorching summers day. Katara's hands find their way around his neck as she leans into him tugging at his collar. They begin to become aware of the fact they haven't yet drawn away to breathe. Both of them are dizzy but unwilling to stop until their reflexes take control and they part sharply, both reeling and breathless.

Panting, they look into each others eyes. His golden eyes contrasted by her blue ones. Somehow this single look feels more intimate than the kiss. And the kiss felt like the longest conversation they had ever had. Apart from their lips the rest of their bodies felt fixed and immovable in position.

On instinct Zuko mutters a barely audible "I'm sorry...".

Katara does not break their eye contact as she forces herself to say the words they had been avoiding "We shouldn't be doing this".

"You know I think I fell in love with you a little bit, when we were in the cave, you showed me kindness when no one else would. I-I think a part of me will always be in love with you Katara" Zuko admits.

"We can't do this. We just wouldn't work. It would be selfish, so many people could get hurt". Katara says as coldly as she can, avoiding his eyes and staring at the floor. 

"I know..." Zuko says, a resigned and apologetic look on his face. 

At this they slowly pull away from eachother, despite their bodies desperately trying to work against them. Katara slides off from his lap and starts to make her way towards the door.

Without looking back Katara leaves the room, fresh tears pooling on her bottom lashes.


	2. Never too late

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Aang's death, Zuko and Katara spend some time alone together and reconcile. They find comfort in one another in their time of grief and reflect on their years together, their old feelings for one another resurfacing. Can this be a new beginning for Zuko and Katara?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> I had something like this in mind for a while and thought it would work well with the first chapter as it could work as a flashback. Again, am open to any constructive criticism. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (I am also going by the canon that says Sokka and Suki are also dead at this point)

Katara contemplated Zuko from across the teashop table. Just the two of them were left after Toph had left for official chief of police business. They had come to the teashop after Aang's funeral. Here they had spent a painful couple of hours recounting their memories of him and the others that had been lost. As much as they had tried to laugh together the feeling of emptiness perpetuated the room. She began mentally counting the members of the group that had been lost over the years: Sokka, Suki, and Aang. At the thought, she felt a lump forming in her throat. She clenched her fists, her fingers digging into her palm. For some reason she could not let herself be vulnerable in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Zuko says, his eyebrows raised looking worriedly at her.

"No... It's just we have lost so many over the years" Her voice began to crack as she said 'many' and she admitted defeat and put her head in her hands. Her heart hurt as she began to cry, and with each sob she fell deeper into the chasm of grief. 

Zuko moved closer and took the seat next to her. He awkwardly draped an arm around her hunched form, and rested his face on his free arm. Silent tears were streaming from his eyes as he joined in her grieving. 

"Did you see Toph, she didn't cry. Not once. I want to be strong like her, but I can't. I've just lost too much" Katara manages to say in between sobs. 

"My Uncle said that crying is not a show of weakness like my father had taught me. Crying is a show of humility and compassion." Zuko said, his voice shaky with the memory of his Uncle. 

Katara looked up surprised to see Zuko's tear-stained face, his eyes fresh with tears anew with the memory of his uncle. They sat there together for a while, crying until they began to ache before Jin, whom Iroh had charged with maintaining the tea-shop after his death, nudged them gently. 

"It's getting dark and I think your dragon is getting restless" Jin says pointedly. She smiles at them empathetically and walks away. 

"I hadn't even noticed how much time had gone by, we should be getting going" Zuko says reluctantly untangling himself from Katara. 

"I have nowhere to go, All I'll be going back to is an empty air temple..." Katara sniffled and muttered underneath her breath. 

"Ever since Azumi became Fire Lord I've been feeling the same way... What if you came with me? The Earth King sent me a crate of some of the 'finest wine in Ba sing se' which I've never felt like actually drinking until now... you also get a free ride on my dragon?" Zuko asked cautiously. His voice was thick from crying but despite this he hadn't lost the air childish awkwardness that surrounded him. 

"Sure" Katara said with what she hoped looked like a smile. 

They both walked to where the dragon was tethered and Zuko went to untie it. She uncapped her bottle and with one flick of the wrist created a wave which mounted her on the dragon. Zuko came back and looked stunned. 

"How did you get up there so fast?" He said looking up and down from the ground to the dragons back.

In response to this Katara tapped the water bottle that was tied at her waist. She watched as he motioned for the dragon to lower itself for him and he began climbing up with some difficulty. He positioned himself in front of her panting and slightly breathless. 

"You could have just asked me to make a wave for you" Katara chuckles shaking her head. 

In response, Zuko strokes the dragons head and whispers something its ear. Without warning the dragon soars for the sky in one swift motion, and Katara feels her stomach plummeting to the ground. She rushes to grip on to Zuko's waist and cannot hide the smile from her face. The wind is rushing against her face and as they are approaching clouds small droplets caress her face. It has been a long time since she felt something so exhilarating. Since she felt so alive. 

The dragons pace begins to slow and Katara feels a longing for that first leap into the sky. It felt far too short. She allows herself to take in her surroundings, she takes in the gentle shapes of the clouds that envelope and marvels at the microscopic view of Ba sing se. She feels reluctant to start a conversation since this moment feels sacred, she doesn't want anything to taint this feeling.

Zuko clears his throat and asks "So what do you think?". 

Katara lets out a deep sigh and says "I can't believe I didn't make you do this sooner!". 

They both chuckle and let their eyes take in the view of the sunset, something Katara had not noticed up until now. 

The sun bathed the sky in a gradient of reds and yellows, but from such a height, the colour that backdropped the clouds around them bled into a light pink. 

"I always thought the moon was the most beautiful, but this is..." Katara struggles to find words and she drinks in the sight.

She rests her head on Zuko's shoulder and lets her eyes wander. Being this close to him reminded her of how truly lonely she felt. It had been a long time since she had embraced someone, since she felt someones presence so deeply. Her children had gone off to live their own lives and had come to the funeral, only to leave shortly afterwards. She could tell they were absolutely heartbroken, but they knew Aang would have wanted them not to put their lives on hold for him. 

She sighed again and began to twirl her hands lazily at the clouds. The cloud begins to form a swirl following the movements of her finger. Zuko lets out a scoff.

"Of course you can control the clouds" he realizes shaking his head. 

She begins absent-mindedly forming shapes as they drift through the clouds, her best accomplishment being one that vaguely resembles Momo. 

She registers that they are slowing down, no they are going down. The ground is getting closer and closer as they lose the flurry of oddly shaped clouds behind them. Katara feels that longing sensation again, a part of her does not want to ever leave the sky. 

She closes her eyes for a second, only to open them and see that they have safely landed on the ground. She notices that Zuko is already on the ground and his hands are reaching out to her. Katara considers dismissing this gesture and reaching for her bottle, but she sighs and reaches back, he did give her a dragon ride after all. Their hands are clasped as she shifts off the dragons back and he lets go. For a second she thinks this is some cruel prank before his hands move to her waist, pulling her safely down. They are barely centimetres apart on the ground when she lands and they awkwardly part, Zuko brushing his hand through his hair and looking away. 

"I thought you were going to let me fall" Katara admits. 

"What, I would never do that!" Zuko says shocked .

Katara laughs "You are always so serious". 

They walk over to the building on their left. It is a modest Fire nation house, barely befitting a former Fire lord. 

"Is this where you live?" Katara asks struggling to hide the incredulity in her voice. 

"Yeah, It was always my plan to live a normal life after I abdicate. Like my Uncle. I am no longer Fire lord, so I should not live like one" He replies. 

They make their way to the double doors as two guards part and nod politely, opening the doors for them. 

"I don't think normal people have guards protecting them" Katara states.

"They are the only two guards I have, and I wouldn't have them if I didn't get any assassination attempts once in a while. My in-house staff also get an early night. We are basically all alone". He explains, his eyebrows raising as he realises what the last part might allude to. 

"I didn't mean..." He struggles to explain. 

Katara laughed in response, he really hadn't changed. 

They make their way to a room with small floor table in front of a large flickering fire place. Katara sits at the table while Zuko goes to get drinks for them. He comes back holding a bottle in one and two cups in the other hand and sits opposite her at the floor table. 

He pours wine into the two cups and they both reach for their cups. They begin drinking their wine in silence. Katara welcomes the numbing sensation that begins to form whilst drinking, Aang wanted to live as traditionally as possible so she hadn't drunk in years. She hadn't ever wanted to, but now she appreciated how it could take the edge off and was beginning to understand why so many people enjoyed it so much. 

After many minutes of silence, Katara was seized by a memory from her teenage years. It was her and Zuko, together? Something about the flickering fireplace reminded her of that time. She remembered they had given in to their passions for a few moments only to realize their realities and part. 

"Do you remember?... that time..." she drifted. 

Zuko tried to maintain a neutral expression. Holding on to her waist, his hands feeling her cool skin through her dress as she climbed off the dragon had been enough to remind him of that moment in the past. 

"W-what time are you talking about? We have so many memories together" He said, hoping the slight stutter in his voice would not deceive him. 

"When your father supporters were giving you a lot of problems, when I was sent to 'check up on you'" Her thoughts begin to clear as she makes air quotes at the last part. 

"Oh... that. We were both so young and reckless-" 

"Did you mean what you said?" Katara interrupts him, her memory now crystal clear.

"That you were in love with me. That you would always love me."

"I-" Zuko struggles to explain himself.

"What if I said it back?" Katara says. 

He sighs and decides to tell the truth. "It was true then and it is true now. A part of me will always love you. But I never wanted to do anything to come between you and Aang. Aang was the best friend I ever had, I could live a thousand lifetimes and I think I would still not deserve him as a friend. Also... you hated me so much. You said you'd never be able to forgive me. The way you looked at me... So I gave up. You were right so many people would get hurt. It was not worth the sacrifice"

Katara shakes her head leaving Zuko a little confused. 

"I was a headstrong girl when I was young. I would not listen to anyone's thoughts but my own. Which was a good trait to have sometimes, but it meant I was not very forgiving. Zuko I forgave you a long time ago. You were a child. We were all children. Having had children myself I realised even more how no one on earth deserved the childhood that you and Azula had. Throughout the years we have saved each others lives again and again. You are one of the best people I have ever known. And... Yes I loved you back then, in a passionate erratic type of way. But at this point I truly love and care about you Zuko, and nothing can change it". 

She reaches out to touch his scar, now lined with age. She looks into his eyes, the golden irises unaffected by the years that have marked the rest of his face. This time, they slowly and intentionally move towards one another. Her hands rest on his neck and he returns his hands to her waist. They don't even need to touch each other to feel the intense intimacy they share. Their lives are so intertwined, their destiny's forever tethered that the connection they feel is so strong and constant. They move in to kiss each other, and the feeling of their lips connected feels so natural. They kiss gently, and instead of drowning in the familiar feeling of Zuko's warmth, she feels comfort and solace in it. In many ways their kiss feels like coming home. 

They move to his bedroom and lie down on his bed fully clothed, their hands and feet still intertwined, connecting them to one another other. 

Katara whispers into his ear "I don't want to rush into anything, not so soon after Aang".

"That's fine. Just holding you is enough for me" Zuko whispers back. 

They both fall silent and fall into blissful sleep, wrapped in each other's arms. Both feeling a little less lonely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Didn't include this in the fic because it wouldn't make sense, but Toph definitely went home and cried privately. I imagine she metal bended/ earth bended a lot as a way of grieving.) 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. 
> 
> x


End file.
